When I win the lottery, I’m going back to school.

No beach vacations in Tahiti for me. As soon as I’m flush with cash and have unlimited time (whee!), I’m heading back for degrees in history and poetry, political science and auto mechanics. Not that I didn’t enjoy studying philosophy and writing a few years back. It’s just that they simply aren’t enough. In my job, not a week goes by that a Ph.D. in women’s studies, economics or public policy wouldn’t come in handy.

While I wait for my lucky numbers to come up, I thought it would be fun to scour local colleges and institutions for some of their best fall classes—especially those that don’t require a lot of time or cash. (See our Get Smart package, page 46) Our terrific summer interns, Kelly Drake and Erin McWhorter, helped tremendously in this project. They found classes in everything from film criticism to fungi, and I’m hoping to sneak away for a few hours this fall to take some of them. Sadly, their class research was one of their last projects for the summer, and they will be sorely missed.

But we’re happy to report that VERVE’s new format continues to be well received. (By most of you, anyway.) We’re also excited that fall election season is coming up, and there will be many interesting Asheville-area women candidates and players to watch. Stay tuned for political stories, a fabulous fall fashion spread and more in VERVE’s October issue.

Best,
Jess McCuan
jess@vervemag.com